The present disclosure relates generally to a process for modifying a hook profile of a fastening component and a fastening component having hooks with a modified profile. More particularly, some aspects of the disclosure relate to using an anvil roll, anvil-roll plate, and/or a slip-and-cut system to modify a hook profile of a fastening component.
Many absorbent articles intended for personal wear, such as diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products, adult incontinence products, bandages, medical garments, and the like have been manufactured by processes wherein discrete parts or segments of the article are deposited on a continuously moving product web. In such processes, a vacuum slip roll, anvil roll, or the like may be used when cutting, transporting, and transferring the segment to the moving product web. For example, a known slip-and-cut manufacturing process uses a vacuum drum rotating at a speed faster than an incoming web from which the segment is to be cut. The incoming web thus slips on the drum surface until a cut-off knife cuts a correct length of the web thereby forming the segment. The cut-off knife may be mounted on a cutting roll which cuts the segment from the incoming web when the knife comes into contact with the rotating vacuum drum. The cut segment is held to the surface of the drum by a vacuum drawn through holes provided in the drum. The segment is held and transported on the drum to a transfer point where the segment is transferred to the continuously moving product web forming at least a portion of the absorbent article.
In some applications, the incoming web (i.e., the web from which the discrete segments are to be cut) may comprise fastening components ultimately used to secure the absorbent article about a user. For example, the incoming web may comprise a base substrate with one or more fastening components extruded or otherwise disposed on the base substrates. The one or more fastening components may comprise any suitable material used to fasten the absorbent article about a wearer, such as a hook material. However, the profiles of the hooks provided on known hook materials may be inadequate to securely hold the absorbent article about a wearer. For example, and particularly when the absorbent article is an infant diaper or the like, the hook profile of known hook materials may be inadequate to securely hold the absorbent article about the wearer when the infant crawls, walks, runs, bends, etc.
Thus, for some applications it may be desirable to provide a complex hook profile such that the fastening components provide a more secure engagement with an associated mating fastening component (e.g., a loop material). However, in order to provide such a complex hook profile, different (and more complex) manufacturing processes may need to be used when forming the hooks and/or known hook materials may need to undergo additional manufacturing steps before the hook material is supplied to the vacuum drum of the slip-and-cut system. This may lead to an undesirable increase in time and expense when manufacturing an absorbent article.
In other applications it may be desirable to provide a complex hook profile such that the fastening components provide a less secure engagement with an associated mating fastening component (e.g., a loop material). However, in order to provide such a complex hook profile, different (and more complex) manufacturing processes may need to be used when forming the hooks and/or known hook materials may need to undergo additional manufacturing steps before the hook material is supplied to the vacuum drum of the slip-and-cut system. This may lead to an undesirable increase in time and expense when manufacturing an absorbent article.
Thus, there remains a need for a process to manufacture a complex hook profile without adding time, expense, and/or manufacturing steps to current slip-and-cut systems.